Abstract:
Missouri State University will soon receive a $353,252 grant from the National Science Foundation that will allow researchers to acquire a superconducting quantum interference device, or SQUID, magnetometer, Rep. Roy Blunt said today.

The SQUID is a mechanism used to measure and test extremely weak signals, such as subtle changes in the human body's electromagnetic energy field.

"Research labs across the nation have been routinely using the SQUID device for measuring magnetic fields, which are a trillion times smaller than a refrigerator magnet," he said. "With an array of research programs at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center in electronic and magnetic materials, the absence of a magnetometer — believed to be so crucial for materials research — has severely impacted researchers at Missouri State University in completing the basic fundamental aspects of their research. The new SQUID facility will significantly elevate the existing programs in nanoscience, nanotechnology, electronics, novel magnetic materials, and chemical and biological sensors."